News is just coming out that Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh has been left out of the Morocco squad which will travel to South Africa to take part in 2013’s Africa Cup of Nations which gets under way next month. Only two Premier League-based players have been included: Aston Villa’s Karim El Ahmadi and Liverpool’s Oussama Assaidi with QPR’s Adel Taarabt also being omitted.

Given that Chamakh has hardly played over the past 12 months (or longer) it is not really surprising that he has not received a call up to the international squad.

It is widely believed that Chamakh will move elsewhere when the transfer window opens in a few days, but it was also widely believed he would move in the summer and look how that panned out.

When Chamakh arrived at Arsenal on a free a couple of summers ago he seemed to adapt well and filled the mighty big hole which had been left by Robin van Persie’s annual injury lay-off. But once the Dutchman returned Chamakh didn’t really get a look in and even in these days of striker shortage at the Emirates the best he could muster all year was an appearance against Reading in the Capital One Cup, unable to make the bench for many games, even when Arsenal were extremely short of attacking players.

It does seem like his days at Arsenal are numbered and as it is now affecting his ability to get in the national team you would have to think that whatever stopped him moving during the summer would no longer be a barrier to his exit.